Contents

Summary

ROCK BAND My Morning Jacket PERFORMS — On the night of the Homecoming dance, Rebekah opens up to Elena about why the evening is so important to her, leaving Elena with conflicting emotions. Caroline and Matt are both shocked at Tyler's behavior throughout the evening. The evening takes a surreal turn when Klaus puts his latest plan in action. Determined to outsmart Klaus, Damon enters in a dangerous partnership, leading to a terrifying turn of events. The band My Morning Jacket performs in the party scenes.

Plot

SPOILERS AHEAD

In the episode, the plan to kill Klaus once and for all is set in motion. Damon and Elena enlist the help of Mikael to lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls after he fled because of hearing a rumor about Mikael being back there. The plan involves Elena daggering Mikael and then un-daggering him, after Stefan had talked to Klaus to get him back. Stefan made the call to Klaus and told him that Mikael was dead. Klaus requested that his body be delivered to him. Later on in the bathroom, Damon and Elena are making wolfsbane grenades. Elena is telling Damon how many ways the plan can go wrong, that Rebekah might be on their side now, but Klaus is her brother in the end.

Rebekah's body in basement.

Later on, Rebekah and Elena are talking in Stefan's room when Elena gives Rebekah her necklace back and ultimately stabs her in the back with the dagger. Damon later hides her body in the basement. Damon remarks that it was a very Katherine move on Elena's part for stabbing her in the back. Outside the school, the gym is flooded: Tyler moves the party to his house as a part of Klaus' plan. Matt shows up at the mansion to pick up Rebekah, his date, and is greeted by Elena who nervously suggests that they go together as a couple, her being his "back up" date. Matt agrees, though is a little suspicious. Once there, Tyler reveals that the party they are at is not homecoming, but a "wake" for Mikael.

Tyler had gotten a live band to play and Klaus had compelled complete strangers to come to the party and had ordered new hybrids to be stationed at the entrances to the house. While at the party, Klaus and Tyler talk about how Tyler's mom would freak if she saw the party at her house.

Then Klaus tells Tyler to look around the party to see Bonnie, Matt, Elena and then Klaus says to Tyler about Caroline, "There's your pretty little girlfriend." Klaus tells him that he is free to warn his friends about the hybrids at the party. At the party, Elena is cornered by Klaus, who tells her that whatever she's planning, it won't work and that she should it give it her best shot. She is visibly nervous and remarks when he asks why she looks nervous that she doesn't like him. In an upstairs room, Tyler confronts Caroline about a plan to kill Klaus.

She denies knowing anything about the plan and retorts back that even if she did know anything about a plan, she wouldn't tell him what it was. She begins to leave, but he quickly gives her a shot of vervain and begs Matt to take her safely away and make sure she was safe. He goes back downstairs and is immediately cornered by Damon who forces him into his mother's office where he and Tyler get into a fight where Tyler almost bites him. Damon is about to kill him, but Bonnie, using her powers, gives both of them blinding headaches and stops them.

Meanwhile, back at the party, a woman that Klaus had compelled comes up to him and tells him he has a visitor by the name of Mikael. Klaus remarks that they shouldn't keep him waiting and he goes off to meet Mikael, who he has not seen in a century or more. Mikael meets him in the entrance to the Lockwood mansion and orders Klaus to come outside so he can kill him.

Klaus refuses and they end up getting into a verbal argument that comes to a head when Mikael grabs Elena and threatens to kill her. Klaus refuses to believe him and tells him that for all his life, he has underestimated him. Mikael angrily tells Klaus that he has no one by his side other than those whose loyalty he forced.

He keeps Elena by his side and Klaus tells Mikael he is calling his bluff and shouts at Mikael to kill her. Elena, in a shaking voice, tells Klaus that he would really do it. Klaus shouts at his father to kill her and Mikael hesitates before plunging a knife into Elena's back.

Katherine

Klaus gasps, but before he can do much, Damon jumps on him and stabs him in the stomach with the white oak stake in an attempt to incapacitate him before killing him. Meanwhile, Katherine, who was impersonating Elena, reveals herself to Mikael, successfully distracting him. She then turns and throws the wolfsbane grenades at the hybrids.

Stefan appears out of nowhere and gets Damon away from Klaus. Klaus then grabs the white oak stake and stabs a distracted Mikael who burns to his death. Damon is completely shocked by what Stefan did. Klaus then gives Stefan his freedom back, he is no longer compelled.

The last scene consists of a telephone call between Klaus and Stefan. Stefan affirms that he only wants revenge and this is the reason why he had stolen the coffins in which the Originals stay. Klaus, with an angry attitude, promises that he will kill Stefan and everyone he has ever loved.

It is revealed that Klaus carts around four coffins. Elijah's was the only one known as of this episode; however, Kol, Finn and Esther would be revealed to be in the other three in Bringing Out The Dead.

Katherine admits her humanity to Stefan at the end of this episode.

Damon becomes the first vampire to kill a fully transitioned hybrid (the guard at the door of the Lockwood Mansion).

Klaus says "I will kill you and every one you've ever met" to Stefan; this was how Katherine described him when he's betrayed or angry in the series' second season. She said this to Elena and Stefan in Katerina and to Damon in The Last Day.

Rebekah says that nobody from her family can be trusted. It is implied that she cannot be trusted either.

This episode marks the last appearance of Katherine in this season.

Damon says "Because when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it." This was a hint that Katherine would be replacing Elena at the homecoming party. It was hinted again by Matt, who tells "Elena" that it's weird that the two of them are there together.

Klaus promises Stefan that once Mikael is dead, Stefan will be free of the compulsion; by the end of the episode, both of these end up coming true, as Stefan helped prevent Damon from killing Klaus, allowing Klaus to finally kill Mikael once and for all.

Cultural References

Homecoming is an American tradition, where alumni are invited to return to their Alma mater, usually for a special Football game. Normally there are several activities including a parade, cultural events and decade dances. The homecoming tradition started in 1911, so Rebekah would have heard of this dance.

Portland is a city in Oregon. It was incorporated in 1851, coincidental just a few years before Mystic Falls. It is home to bands such as Paul Revere & the Raiders. Recently its been home to a number of indie bands.

Caroline says she does not want to get into a "vampire threesome" with Tyler. A threesome can mean many things, but usually it means when three people are engaged in sexual activity together. It's a common element in sexual fantasies, and it is hinted that's what Katherine wanted with the Salvatore brothers.

Beer Pong is a drinking game where players try to land a ping pong ball at a cup of beer at the other side of the table. Rules vary tremendously. Elena also mention kegs - in past episodes they always show somebody chugging at beer kegs.

Elena says that they must let Stefan go. "Let him go" is a song by Bob Marley, may also reference TVD's own soundtrack music, "Holding on and Letting Go", because although they say they are letting him go, they are actually holding on to hope.